Messages in a Bottle
by Silver-Haired-Thief
Summary: Roxas Strife is a 28-year old man who is successful in his career, but not so successful in his love life. One day when jogging down the beach, he finds a little green bottle with a letter written inside from a man named Axel. When Roxas shows his editor Sora, he wants to publish it. AkuRoku, SoRiku. Rating may go up.
1. Chapter 1

**I'm pretty much writing this for my own amusement and for a fanfiction contest that a Facebook page (Ventus) is having. (I'll try to include a link when I'm not in school.)**

**I'm so stoked to see how this story will play out and I hope you all enjoy it.**

**This is my first Kingdom Hearts fanfic and hopefully it won't be my last! **

**I based this off of a book I read once called _"Message in a Bottle",_ I believe.**

**If you don't like yaoi, turn and run away now. I will not tolerate hate on my story just because you don't like the pairing.**

**I only own the story; everything else is not mine :(**

**Review if you will, I'd love constructive criticism..**

**Thanks.**

* * *

**Messages in a Bottle**

**I - The Letter**

* * *

Roxas Strife wiped the sweat from his forehead as he ran along the beach.

It was early in the morning in the bustling city of Twilight Town and it was quiet along the beaches.

The twenty-eight year old man was getting his morning jog in. Lately the blonde man had noticed that he was getting flabbier with his age and had decided to lose some weight.

His friend, Sora Hikaru, told him not to worry about losing weight. That was easy for him to say; Sora was a naturally skinny man with a high metabolism.

He had a husband; his name was Riku. (Gay marriages were very common in Twilight Town.)

Riku was a quiet and rather angsty man with silvery long locks. Though most would find Sora and Riku to be an odd match, Roxas thought that they were rather sweet together.

Sora was lucky, unlike Roxas.

Roxas had been married once, to a charming man named Xemnas. They had adopted a little girl named Namine. Their marriage had ended once Roxas found out that Xemnas had been cheating on him and Xemnas was all too willing to give Roxas custody of Namine.

It always made Roxas pissed to think about it. How could Xemnas do this? To him? And Nami?

A soft sigh escaped Roxas' lips as he stopped for a moment, his legs aching.

_I'm over it_, Roxas thought, looking out at the ocean. He could hear Sora saying that 'That man wasn't worth your time' or something.

Roxas chuckled. He was truly lucky to have Sora and Namine to be around. Though right now, he really only had the hyper brunette; his daughter was currently on a water park weekend with Xemnas and his boyfriend Saix.

The blonde man took a step forward and blinked when he stepped on something.

Cerulean eyes glanced down at the ground under his feet and saw a rather nice looking green bottle with a cork in it. Within the bottle, a faint outlining of a rolled up sheet of paper could be seen.

_A message in a bottle?_

Curious, Roxas managed to get the cork out of the bottle and pulled the rolled up paper out. There was a note written on a beautiful piece of stationary with a blue sailboat on it. The handwriting was rather nice, but Roxas could tell that it was a male's.

It read:

_'My dearest Xion,_

_Oh it has been so long since we've been together. I miss you and your beautiful cerulean eyes and how they could always see through me and my soul._

_I miss running my hands through that alabaster colored hair of yours; it was always smooth like the surface of the smoothest conch shell._

_I miss you, my darling, but today is hard because the ocean has been calling to me, and singing to me the song is that of our life together. I can almost feel __you and sense you beside me as I write to you and I can smell your strawberry shampoo. But at this moment, these things don't give me satisfaction._

_Your visits have been coming less often, and I feel sometimes as if the greatest part of who I am is slowly slipping away. I am trying, trying so hard.._

_You are beautiful, I think as I see you in my dream, a vision I can never find in anyone else. You are on the pier on our island within the Destiny Islands. It is late at night, in this dream, and we are alone. You try to speak, but no words leave your lovely lips. I step forward as you begin to fade, but you shake your head because you know that I'm not allowed to come with you._

_I long to say: "I'm here to love you, to hold you in my arms, to protect you! I'm here to learn from you and to receive your love in return. I am here because there is no other place to be!"_

_But you fade away before I can say a word. And I awaken, saddened at the loss of your sweet prescence._  
_I find myself straining to remember everything about you as I sit here on this pier. Even though others are present here, I do not care what they may think as I bow my head and cry and cry and cry._

_Axel'_

Salty tears peeked out of the corners of Roxas' eyes as he finished reading the letter.

He somehow felt emotionally connected to this man and his struggles.

Roxas found himself curious as to who he was and what had happened to this 'Xion'.

With shaky fingers, Roxas slipped the note back into the bottle and placed the bottle in the pocket of his sweatpants.

He'd have to show this to Sora.

* * *

As soon as Roxas got back home, he showered and got dressed. He had about twenty minutes before he had to head to work.

Whilst drying his hair with a towel, Roxas hit a button on his home phone so that he could hear his voice mails.

**"You have two new voice messages,"** the machine chimed in a computerized tone. **"First voice message,"**

**_"Hey Roxas, this is Tidus, Sora mentioned that you-"_**

Roxas rolled his eyes and hit the delete button.

_Damned Sora and his matchmaking shit._

**"Message erased. Second voice message."**

Roxas perked up when he heard the soft voice of Namine.

_**"Hey mommy! I'm having a great time with Daddy and Sai-Sai! Don't worry about me and tell Auntie Sora that I said hi! Love you!"**_

**"End of voice message. To erase the voice message then press-"**

Roxas ignored the machine from there. He hadn't realised how much he had missed Namine. She had only been gone for a day or two and already Roxas was pretty lost without her.

Roxas sighed. "I'm hopeless, aren't I?" Then he shook his head, not wanting to douse himself in his self pity right now. He had plenty of time for that when he got home.

Grabbing his satchel and laptop case, Roxas placed the bottle in the satchel and headed off to work.

It took him about ten minutes to get to his place of employment; the office for the most popular magazine in Twilight Town; The Twilight Town Journal.

Roxas usually wrote advice columns on parenting and such other topics.

As the blonde man entered, he was glomped by a certain brunette editor.

"Roxyyyyy!" Sora squealed, hugging his friend tightly.

Roxas sighed and pat his friend's head. "Hullo Sora."

"Hiiiiiii. You got that article yet?"

Roxas nodded. "And I also have something else I want you to read... I found it on the beach today."

Sora looked excited and guided the blonde to his office. Sora's office was something out of a bad Disney film; the wall was littered with vintage Disney movie posters and Disney figurines lined the shelves and parts of his desk. For a hyper being, Sora's office was rather organized as well, papers were neatly stacked and filed in their proper places and it was just clean overall.

"So?"

Roxas looked confused for a moment and blinked. "So what?"

Sora huffed impatiently. "The thing you wanted me to read?"

"O-oh right," Roxas stuttered as he pulled the bottle out of his pocket and handed it to his friend.

Sora eagerly pulled the note out of the bottle and his eyes began skimming over the letter. The smile on his face slowly faded and tears filled his eyes as he read on.

Roxas knew that he was finished when Sora covered his mouth and had tears rolling down his cheeks.

"Oh god... Roxas, we need to publish this."

**_"WHAT?!"_**

The thought of publishing the letter had never crossed Roxas' mind. It just seemed too personal... to deep to ever be released to the public.

"Think about it," Sora said. "This will be so popular with all of those women out there... I can just see a woman taping it to her refrigerator and just waiting for her husband to come home and read it. This would be great for the magazine!"

Roxas sighed. "I don't know..."

"We can change the names and everything! PLEASE?" Sora begged, blue eyes pleading with Roxas'.

"...Fine," Roxas muttered hesitantly, crossing his arms. "But only if you change the names..."


	2. Chapter 2

**And here's chapter two.  
**

**I won't update until I get at least two reviews. That's not hard to ask for, right?**

**I hope you enjoy this one!**

* * *

**Messages in a Bottle**

**II - The Response**

* * *

Days after Axel's letter was published, letters and phone calls from women all over started coming to the Twilight Town Journal's offices. That edition of the Journal had been their best-selling edition in the longest of time.

About a week later, Roxas' office phone rang and he answered.

It was Sora and he was directing someone's call to him. This was unusual since Roxas didn't take a lot of calls.

Hesitantly, Roxas took the call. "H-hello?"

_"Yes, is this Roxas Strife? The man who found the message in the bottle?"_

"Uh..yeah."

_"..Did the original names happen to be Axel and Xion?"_

Roxas froze. How did she know that?

"Yes.. that's right." Roxas replied shakily, picking up the green bottle that had been on his desk.

_"I found a letter very similar to that one a few months ago on the beach when I was vacationing near Atlantica.. when I read the letter in the Twilight Town Journal, I knew it was the same person."_

"W..would you be willing to fax me a copy of the letter?" Roxas asked, really wanting to know what the other letter said.

_"Oh sure, just give me your fax number and I'll send it right away."_

Roxas gave her the information and then they both hung up, ending the call.

The blonde felt a bit excited to receive this next letter and found himself staring at his fax machine until he finally received it.

"Finally," He mumbled as he began to read.

_'My lovely Xion,_

_The days seem so much longer and stretch on and on as I live in this town without you. Everything I see reminds me of you; the sparkling sea reminds me of your shining eyes; the deep blue sky reminds me of how deeply I can get lost in you, in your eyes._

_I need you, my dear, so badly that sometimes I just can't take it._

_I had yet another dream about you last night. It was just like old times._

_You were wearing your favorite green sundress and those goofy sunglasses. We were on the deck of 'the Flurry', and we were having dinner. Those tuna sandwiches that you made were always the best._

_You got a piece of tuna stuck on your cheek and I lovingly wiped it off and you blushed in the most beautifully charming way._

_I miss you and your deep blushes, my love._

_Oh how I long to hold and touch you once more.. to caress you.. to feel you in my arms.._

_Axel'_

This letter hit Roxas just as hard as the first one. He wished that he could comfort this Axel person, to hug him and tell him that everything would be okay.

But Roxas knew that this was just impossible.

After all, for all Roxas knew, this Axel person could be long dead or old or something by now.

Sighing, Roxas laid the letter aside and set to work on his other article; the 'Dear Molly' advice column.

One question read:

_'Dear Molly,_

_Lately my son has seemed distant._

_Should I confront him about it? What does a mother do when her teenage son starts to avoid her?_

_Signed, A Concerned Mother'._

Roxas' eyebrows furrowed as he began to type up a valid response. Many of his friends were women or gay men who were parents, so he heard a lot about these things.

He simply wrote back:

'_Dear Concerned Mother,_

_You should try simply talking to your son. Do something unexpected for him and try to make him feel like you're his ally rather than his enemy. If there's an academic issue, approach it by coming alongside him, rather than at him with unwanted suggestions or demands. By feeling you're on his side, even when things are rough, he'll feel naturally connected to you, even if there's conflict below the surface._

_Maybe surprise him with a "hookie" day and spend some time with him doing what he wants, what he's interested in._

_Overall, don't give up in your pursuit to want to understand and confront your child about his being distant._

_I wish you the best of luck._

_Love, Molly'._

Roxas read over it, rubbing his temples. Sometimes he felt like a psychiatrist; and a rather bad one in fact.

But usually his advice went well and Sora was always so impressed so Roxas was usually the one who was Molly in the end.

Reading over his next question, he scoffed.

_'Dear Molly,_

_I'm currently pregnant with my first child and am expecting a baby girl. Should I feed the baby by breast feeding or is formula alright?_

_Signed, First Time Mother'._

_Couldn't she just have used google?_ He sighed. _Well, I guess I should be glad some people are stupid... it gives me a job.._

Roxas began typing up his response.

'_Dear First Time Mother,_

_I would recommend asking your doctor before you take any action. Your health is important afterall._

_After doing some research, I found that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) joins other organizations such as the American Medical Association (AMA), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) in recommending breastfeeding as the best for babies. Breastfeeding helps defend against infections, prevent allergies, and protect against a number of chronic conditions._

_Either way, choosing whether you should breastfeed or bottle feed your infant is your decision alone._

_Congratulations and good luck._

_Love, Molly'_

Roxas glanced over it, making sure that he didn't make any grammatical errors. Sora would nag and nag if he didn't.

The door swung open to reveal said brunette, looking too happy.

_Speak of the devil and he shall appear_, Roxas thought.

"Roxy! I have some good news!" Sora said, practically bouncing over to the chair in front of Roxas' desk.

Roxas sighed. "What is it? Did Riku get you more flowers?"

"Well, yes, he did, but that's not the good news! I found Axel!"

The blonde's eyes widened. "What?"

"Yeah!" Sora grinned. "I did some research and looked into the population of Destiny Islands and only found one Axel. An 'Axel Lea Russo'. Check it out!"

Sora handed him a pile of paper that looked like personal records.

On the front page, there was a picture of a man with piercing green eyes and flaming red hair.

_God, he's as gorgeous as his writing..._

Roxas' cheeks turned slightly pink.

_I'm as bad as a teenage girl in love... Geez..._

Sora grinned. "Let's go find him."

Roxas' eyes widened at the suggestion. "Wh-what?! No!"

His brunette friend pouted. "Oh come on! How often is it that you get to meet the perfect guy? Come on Roxas, you could stand to get out for once!"

"Sora, honestly, did you think this through? If I were to meet this Axel guy, what should I say exactly? 'Hi I'm Roxas Strife and I came to meet you because of these sweet letters you wrote'? Honestly, he'd think I was a creepy stalker!" Roxas exclaimed, placing the papers down.

"You don't have to mention the letters! Just meet him! Come ooooonnnnn!" Sora whined.

"...if I go, will my days off be paid?" Roxas finally asked after a moment.

Sora nodded. "Of course! What kind of person do you think I am?!"

The blonde sighed. "Alright... I'll go."


	3. Chapter 3

**I was so excited about this story, that I had to update today. **

**I kinda lied about updating after two reviews *sweat drops* But it's okay! I got one review at least! I love getting reviews, even if its just telling me that you love it. But constructive reviews are the best and encouraging ones help too.**

**I'm already motivated to write this one, so I kind of want people to read it, ya know. If you don't want to review, just favorite the story so I at least know that people are liking what they're reading..**

**Thanks to those who are reading this :) You're awesome.**

**Hope you like this one guys! Review or PM me if you have any questions, comments, or concerns. :D**

**Disclaimer:**

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any trademarked names I may or may not place in any chapter. I just own my story and that's it. **

* * *

**Messages in a Bottle**

**III - Axel**

* * *

It was an hour flight to get to Destiny Islands and Roxas was nervous through the whole flight.

What would Axel really be like? Sure he was handsome and wrote beautiful letters but... Roxas didn't want to get his hopes up. He didn't want to be disappointed when he found the redhead.

When his plane finally landed, he stepped out onto the terminal. He could smell the coast and the fresh air.

He went to get to the baggage claim and grabbed his suitcase. Roxas hadn't packed a lot, just enough for a week's stay.

After eating at the Chick-fil-A in the airport, he left the airport and decided to go find his hotel and settle in before he would try to find Axel.

He walked down the streets of the main island in the Destiny Islands and found it to be crowded, but not as crowded as Twilight Town usually got.

The blonde could clearly see who the tourists were, luckily Roxas had decided to dress subtly, he wore a simple white button up shirt and jeans. Wind blew through his blonde hair as he walked. Roxas looked over at the beach and squinted. There were a lot of people there, but not as many as there were during the day at the beach of Twilight Town.

While looking at the people, he saw an old fat guy laying in the sun. He was as red as a lobster.

_Thank god that I brought lots of sunscreen_, Roxas thought, _Or else I'd look like this guy in minutes_. Roxas had easily burning skin even though he was already naturally tan.

After about ten minutes of wandering, Roxas found the hotel/motel that he was staying in. It was a typical Holiday Inn hotel that Sora had booked for him. In Sora words: "I only trust a Holiday Inn to take care of my dearest Roxy."

Sora was crazy sometimes.

Upon entering the inn, he walked up the counter where a pretty woman with auburn hair and blue eyes worked. She smiled upon seeing Roxas.

"May I help you, sir?"

"Yes, I have a, uh, reservation under the name 'Roxas Strife'."

The woman looked through a book and handed Roxas a key.

"Room 304. Top floor, nice!"

Roxas scratched the back of his neck. "Thanks, uh..." He looked at her name tag. "Kairi."

Kairi grinned flirtily. "If you need anything, just come to me hun."

Roxas nodded and walked off, carrying his luggage.

_I wonder how she would have reacted if I told her that I was gay,_ Roxas mused to himself

He laughed at the thought then took the elevator to his room.

Once Roxas got to his room, he placed his bag down on a dresser type thing. The room was actually very nice, it was quite large with a large and decent

looking bed. It was soft too.

_I need to always have Sora plan my vacations,_ Roxas thought, smiling.

He had a feeling that he'd have a great time.

* * *

About thirty minutes later, Roxas decided to go find the scuba shop that Axel supposedly owned according to Sora's files. The shop was called **_"Paopu Scuba Shop"._**

Roxas thought that it was a really weird name.

It didn't take Roxas long to find it; the shop was near the coast. There was a sign on it that said _"Paopu Scuba_" and there was some sort of star-shaped fruit painted next to the name.

It seemed like there weren't many people there, so Roxas entered the shop, blinking.

He saw no one behind the counter. As he looked around, he saw that the shop was neatly organized, scuba gear lined the shelves and fliers for scuba lessons were neatly laid on the front counter. Something that caught Roxas' attention was a newspaper article on the wall.

Looking closer, Roxas saw Axel and a woman with short black hair standing in front of a beautiful looking boat with the name _Flurry_ painted on the side in beautiful cursive writing.

Roxas stared at the photo then head the caption. 'Axel and Xion Russo spent four months renovating the beautiful ship named the _Flurry_.'

"Sir, do you need anything?"

Roxas squeaked, stunned at the sudden voice. He turned to see a friendly looking man with spiked black hair pulled back into a black and red headband. He was a chubby fellow but looked kind enough.

Roxas turned slightly red. "E-eh?"

The man chuckled. "Do you need something?"

Embarrassed, Roxas stood straight up. "U-uh, is there an Axel Russo here?"

The man shook his head. "He's out at the pier, but he should be back in about an hour. Do you want me to take a message?"

Roxas quickly shook his head. "N-no thanks. I'll be going now, um..." He desperately searched for a name tag, but there wasn't one.

"Pence. I forgot to wear my name tag today, sorry." Pence looked a bit embarrassed.

"I'm Roxas," Roxas offered his hand.

Pence shook it.

"Nice to meetcha." They both smiled.

After that exchange, Roxas left, determined to find that pier.

Walking down the street, he asked a kind old woman for directions. She pointed toward the east. So Roxas walked east and soon saw a dock with a few ships docked there.

Walking up to the pier, Roxas saw the _Flurry_ sitting there in all of its glory. It shone and was very clean.

Roxas walked up to it and gently touched it. "Wow," He said aloud. "She's so pretty.."

"I'm pretty proud of her."

The blonde turned around and he froze. _Oh my god its him..._

Roxas stared at the redhead before him.

Axel was even more handsome in person.

"Sh-she's a beauty," Roxas stuttered, tucking a strand of hair behind his head.

Axel smiled. "We spent a long time renovating her."

"Heh, I've never been on a boat before," Roxas admitted.

"Well.. how about I give you a ride later?" Axel blurted out suddenly.

Roxas looked slightly startled for a moment but then smiled. "A-alright. Yeah, sure. I'd like that."

Axel smiled. "Well how about we meet back here at six and we can go for a sail. Maybe have a picnic on the ship?"

Roxas liked the sound of that. "I'll bring Coca-Cola."

"Make it Pepsi and you've got a deal." Axel flashed him a dazzling smile and Roxas' cheeks turned pink.

"D-deal."

They shook hands.

Axel grabbed a satchel. "Well I should be getting back to my shop. I've left poor Pence alone there long enough!"

He started to rush off, but he stopped and turned. "I never got your name."

"Its Roxas." Roxas said.

Axel smiled. "My names Axel. A-X-E-L. Got it memorized?"

* * *

Axel walked back to the shop, humming. That was something that he hadn't done in forever.

Once he got back to the shop, he blinked in realization.

_I just offered someone a ride on the** Flurry**... I never do that._

He frowned. He didn't really understand it.

_And I suggested a picnic... Geez, is this a date? Does that guy think it is?_

It wouldn't be unusual for Axel to be dating a man; in fact he had only been with one woman in his life... and he married her.

Axel shook his head and walked into the shop.

_I can't think about Xion right now. I just need to relieve Pence and get back to work until closing time._

Walking in the store, he was greeted by said man.

"Hey boss!" Pence greeted, waving from behind the counter.

"Hey kid. I'm surprised, the shop is still standing!" Axel joked, making the college kid pout.

"Ye of little faith, Mr. Russo."

Axel wagged his finger. "Oi! It's Axel! My old man is Mr. Russo!"

Pence laughed. "Right, right."

Axel put on the work t-shirt and headed behind the counter. "You can get to class now kid. It's 3:30 already, wouldn't want you to be late."

Pence's brown eyes widened. "Shit!"

He ran and grabbed his backpack from the back room. "Thanks for reminding me, man!"

Axel chuckled. "Yeah, just get to class kid."

Once Pence had scurried off, Axel was alone in the shop. The rush hour of around twelve o'clock had long since passed and his shop was barren at the moment.

The flaming redhead sat down in a chair behind the desk and leaned back in it, thinking. So many questions were running through his head.

_Do I really have a date tonight? Should I be wearing something special? God, what if he doesn't like riding in the boat?_

Axel shook his head, trying to stop these thoughts and buzzing questions. "Whatever happens will happen, Axel," He said to himself. "And that's all there is to it."


	4. Chapter 4

**Here is yet another update! I'm so proud of this story! *squeals***

**I don't care that it's not getting a lot of attention; I just feel brilliant!**

**I don't own shite. Keep that in mind :) thanks to those of you who have reviewed and favorited! I appreciate it!**

* * *

**Messages in a Bottle**

**IV - Reno Russo**

* * *

At around 4:45, Axel closed down the _Paopu Scuba_ Shop; earlier than usual.

There would be no more customers anyway and Axel wanted to be on time for his "date" with Roxas. The redhead had a lot to do; He wanted to make sandwiches and pack a picnic basket for the boat ride.

And he also thought it would be a good idea to visit his old man.

Reno Russo was Axel's father and best friend. When Axel was thirteen, both his father and mother got into a car accident when going on a date. Only Reno had survived. Axel had been at home with a neighbor who had acted as a babysitter.

Axel had never understood how his father felt until Xion died. Xion had been his love, his life, his best friend and wife. He had a hard time living without her in his life. His home felt empty, having lost that spark that brought it to life. He felt like an empty shell.

This must be how his father felt because Reno never moved on.

Axel got into his old Ford truck and drove on over to his father's house, which was more into the city rather than near the coast. Upon arriving at Reno's abode, the redhead parked his truck in the driveway next to the little old car parked there.

The front door of the house was situated in the back, so Axel moseyed his way on over through the tall grass in the backyard to get to the door.

Stepping up onto the creaky old porch, he saw his father there, smoking a cigarette. He looked a lot like Axel except he was shorter and some grey was starting to show in his red hair.

The elder Russo looked up and smiled. "It's about time, squirt."

Axel chuckled. "Yeah, sorry about that Pops. Been pretty busy with the shop and all."

"Nah, you've just been too busy moping. But you seem a lot happier today," Reno said as he stomped out the cigarette. "You meet someone new?"

"How did you-?"

Reno laughed. "I'm your dad, son. I just know these things. So who are they?"

The elder had long come to accept that Axel was just about as straight as a picket fence that was built by a toddler. He loved his son no matter what he did behind closed doors.

"Well.. I just asked this guy to come for a ride on _Flurry_ later tonight around six." Axel said, trying to downgrade it.

Reno looked amused. "Ah, so you got a fun-filled romantic evening planned out. You packing candles or something? I'd recommend the Glade Apple Cinnamon ones from the Dollar Store over on Surrey Drive. They smell pretty nice; I grabbed a few for myself."

"It's not really a date.." Axel said, sitting on the porch step next to his father.

"You sound like you're trying to convince yourself of that, son." Reno pointed out, grinning. "Just accept that you have the hots for this young man and get 'jiggy' with him or whatever."

Axel winced. "Ew, Pops, stop."

Reno laughed loudly. "Oh come on son! You deserve a long and romantic night out with someone special! You need to move on; you'll be a lot happier."

The younger Russo gave him a look. "Just like you did."

His father fell silent and looked up into the distance. "You're not supposed to repeat your parent's mistakes, son." He sounded like he was centuries old for just a minute.

Axel hadn't seen his father this serious since the death of Axel's mother. Usually, Reno would try to lighten the mood even if he himself wasn't feeling so hot. He really just wanted to see people smile. Axel had always admired that about his father.

He sighed. "Sorry, pops.. I didn't mean anything by that.."

Reno pat his sons head. "I know that. I just don't want you to end up like me. You're 30 and still have your whole life ahead of you."

Axel nodded in understanding.

"That's a good lad," Reno said, patting his son's back then standing up. "Now go get ready for your date."

"Right. Bye Dad." They hugged.

"Bye."

Axel stood up and left in his truck. He had a lot to do.

* * *

After a trip to the Dollar Store, Axel had everything he needed to make the perfect picnic basket.

As he drove home, Axel looked at the clock. 5:25. Perfect, that was just enough time to make sandwiches and get there on time.

The next half-hour was spent at Axel's house making a bunch of sandwiches and wrapping them up in plastic.

He grabbed his rather large picnic basket that he had used to bring his lunch in at one time and started packing the sandwiches and other food items.

Soon it was 5:50 and everything was ready. Axel felt relieved.

After grabbing the picnic basket and his leather jacket, he headed out to his truck and started it.

The radio came on; it was the weather. Not a cloud in the sky, no sign of rain and the water would be calm. Excellent.

Grinning, Axel drove on over to the pier, arriving at 5:59.

"Just on time," Axel said to himself.

* * *

Roxas was in panic mode. Literally.

He had spent the whole afternoon trying to find out to where and it was hard. He ended up wearing a dark blue t-shirt with dark jeans, hoping that this would be nice enough.

When he looked at the clock, his panic grew. It was 5:55 and he still hadn't left the hotel yet.

_Ohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshitohshit!_

He ran out of the hotel as fast as he could.

_Crap! I still have to get Pepsi!_

Looking around, he ran to the nearest store and bought a 2-liter bottle of Pepsi and then began sprinting toward the pier.

By the time he got there, Roxas was completely and utterly exhausted. He looked at his phone. It was 6:15. Shit.

He ran out to where he last saw the Flurry and hoped that Axel was there.

To the blonde's relief, Axel was still standing there with a basket in his hands.

Roxas walked up to him. "Uh...hey."

"Hey. Oh, you brought the Pepsi! Fuck yeah!" Axel grinned.

"Yeah, I did. Just like you wanted," Roxas breathed out. He was out of breath from the distance he ran.

The blonde blinked when he felt Axel's hand rubbing his back. "Breathe, Roxy, breathe."

Roxas blushed at the nickname and slowly caught his breath.

Once Roxas was alright, Axel helped him up onto the ship. "We chose a fine night to go sailing." Axel said once they got on the ship.

Roxas nodded. "Yeah, its really pretty out. Though it is a bit chillier than I expected. Heh."

"Didn't you bring a jacket?" Axel asked.

Roxas shook his head. "Its summer, I didn't think I'd need one. I'll be okay."

Before Roxas could say anything, Axel took off his leather jacket and handed it to him. "Here, take this. I don't really need it anyway."

The blonde blinked. "Are you sure? I don't want you to get cold."

Axel grinned. "I'm used to this weather! I'll be fine! And if I get too cold, I can always use your body heat to get warm."

Roxas blushed at the thought.

With a hum, Axel took the Pepsi and picnic basket below deck and then came back up. He turned a crank to lift the anchor up and then they were ready to sail.

Roxas walked up to Axel, stumbling, as the redhead steered the ship; there was a good wind blowing and they were moving. "W-whoa," Roxas said aloud as he stumbled.

Axel chuckled. "It takes a minute to get used to it. Just stand still for a second."

Roxas stopped next to Axel and held onto his arm. He didn't like feeling all wobbly like this. Another chuckle escaped Axel. _He's so cute._

Soon they were far enough out in the sea. There was no sign of any other boats and the clear ocean water was peaceful and barely rustling the boat.

"Let me set the anchor then we can eat," Axel said, letting go of the steering wheel. Roxas nodded and waited as Axel set down the anchor.

The rest of the night, the two men talked and ate, just happy to be in each other's company.

"These sandwiches are so good, Axel! What the heck do you put in them?" Roxas asked with a mouth full of turkey sandwich.

"Do you really want to know?" Axel asked, looking serious.

Roxas nodded.

"Come closer so I can tell you," The redhead said, gesturing for the blonde to get closer. Roxas set his sandwich down and leaned forward.

"The souls of the unborn," Axel whispered in a completely monotone voice. Roxas blinked then began to laugh and giggle loudly.

Axel scratched behind his neck. "I didn't think I was_ that_ funny."

Roxas kept laughing and laughing like he couldn't stop. Tears peaked the edges of his eyes and he was holding his stomach. Then suddenly he began to cough. He had a piece of turkey caught in his throat. Axel noticed immediately. "Oh shit, are you alright?"

When the blonde kept coughing, Axel gripped Roxas' shoulders. "Are you choking, Roxas?" Roxas nodded.

Axel immediately started doing the Heimlich on him. He didn't want Roxas to choke to death on their first date.

After quite a bit of struggling, the lodged piece of turkey flew out of Roxas' throat and landed about three feet away from them.

Roxas gasped for air while Axel rubbed his back. "That was close," Axel breathed, relieved.

"Y-yeah," Roxas stuttered.

* * *

The rest of the night went well, they had deep conversations, funny ones, and even gained some inside jokes just like any two people would from spending so much time together.

They really clicked together and it surprised both of them.

Around 11:00 pm, Axel stood up. "Oh wow, I hadn't realized how late it was. We should start heading back to shore. Roxas nodded, even though he was slightly disappointed that the night was ending so soon.

He had been having so much fun with Axel, much more fun than he had had in such a long time.

Roxas had learned so much about Axel; He liked chocolate pudding, taught scuba diving, hated lima beans, and he always wanted kids. The wanting kids quality was a good thing for Roxas. So many times, dates had gone badly because the man he was going out with did not want a child whatsoever.

And Roxas had Namine to think about, so he'd immediately leave, no matter how great of a catch the guy was.

Axel was kind, smart, and funny. Namine would really like him; Roxas could feel this in his bones.

Soon, sooner than Roxas would have wanted, they were back at the pier. The blonde frowned and looked over at Axel. He looked just as disappointed as Roxas did. Green eyes met blue. "Hey, uh..." Axel scratched behind his neck. "Would you like me to drive you back to where you're staying?"

Roxas slowly nodded. "Yes, please."

Grabbing Roxas' hand, Axel led him over to his truck. "Nice truck," Roxas commented.

Axel grinned. "I like it a lot." He opened the passenger-side door. "In you go, milady."

The short blonde rolled his eyes and got in the truck. Axel got in on the driver's side. "You're lucky that I like you so much," Axel said. "I don't often let people ride in old Bessie here."

Roxas chuckled. "I guess I'm lucky then."

Axel laughed then started the truck and drove Roxas to the hotel.

Once they were there, Axel parked the truck. "Alright, we're here."

"Thank you for giving me a ride Axel." Roxas said, opening the passenger door. "Wait," Axel said, grabbing the blonde's hand.

Roxas blinked and looked back. "What?"

Axel quickly leaned forward and gave Roxas a quick kiss on the lips. "Bye."

Roxas blushed deeply. "Y-yeah, b-bye."

He left the car and closed the door.

_He just kissed me..._


	5. Chapter 5

**Here's another update. I hope you enjoy it.**

* * *

**Messages in a Bottle**

**V - It's A Small World**

* * *

The rest of Roxas' time in Destiny Islands was spent with Axel. Axel showed him around and showed him all of the best spots.

But the week had to come to an end and soon Roxas was packing to leave for Twilight Town. He was sad, but he knew that he needed to get back to his job and his life. Plus, he had Axel's number so they could talk any time.

On the last day, Axel drove Roxas to the airport. They were both disappointed that their time together seemed short-lived.

Soon they were at the airport and sharing their last hug and kiss for a while.

"I'll call you when I get home, okay?" Roxas said after they hugged for the last time.

"Right," Axel said, nodding.

They shared a final smile and then Roxas was gone.

* * *

_Axel was walking along the beach, holding hands with Xion once more._

_She was laughing at something Axel said. "That's why I love you," She said, hugging his arm. "You're not afraid to speak your mind. I wish I could be like that."_

_"You're perfect," Axel breathed out. Xion laughed._

_"No, no one's perfect, Axel. We all make mistakes and have regrets." She replied and grabbed his hand. "And its up to us to fix our mistakes and make everything good again, right?"_

_"Right," Axel replied. Xion was always so wise, like she had lived for centuries upon centuries. She gave the best advice._

_A soft sigh escaped Xion's lips. Axel blinked. "Is something wrong?"_

_Her blue eyes met Axel's green ones. "Will you love me no matter what?" She asked suddenly._

_"Of course," Axel replied. He took both of her hands. "If I remember correctly, I wrote that in my vows."_

_Xion smiled. "That's good.. that's good."_

_They stood there together, perfectly satisfied just being together._

* * *

Axel woke up suddenly, blinking. _Why did I dream about that time?_

He hadn't had a dream about Xion in about a week. She wasn't haunting his mind as she usually did. He wondered if Roxas had something to do with that.

Ever since Roxas had walked into his life, things had been progressively getting better for Axel. The redhead was happier overall and smiled a lot. Axel's mind was clear and full of happiness.

_Maybe it was time to move on..._

* * *

Weeks upon weeks passed and Roxas and Axel talked every night over Skype. They talked and talked about many things; Work, their families, childhood memories... Even past loves.

It was then that Roxas learned what had truly happened to Xion. It was sad and Roxas had actually cried when he heard the story. Axel had gone through so much.

Roxas and Axel were slowly growing closer even though they were physically apart.

About a month later, Roxas walked into work to find that flowers had been delivered. Axel had ordered them for him. They were beautifully arranged in a green colored crystal vase; Roxas' favorite color.

That day, everything was going well. Roxas would be getting off of work early to go pick up Namine from the airport. Her summer break was almost over and she'd be back in school. She would be in the first grade.

The six-year-old would be with Roxas for her birthday and Roxas had a fun birthday weekend planned. They would head to Destiny Islands and go to the beach with Axel and maybe even get scuba diving lessons.

Roxas hoped that Namine would have a great time.

As he wrote yet another _'Ask Molly'_ article, Sora skipped into his office and eyed the bouquet. "Ooh! Is that from Axel?!"

The blonde nodded. "Yeah."

"It's so cute!" Sora squealed. "Aren't you glad that you made that trip down there?"

Roxas nodded again. Sora leaned forward on Roxas' desk. "Soo?"

The writer blinked. "What?"

"When are you going to see him again?" Sora asked. "This weekend," Roxas said as he typed. "I'm bringing Namine with me as well. I thought going to the beach for her birthday would be fun."

"Ooh good plan," Sora grinned. "Are you gonna do the dirty with him yet?"

Roxas blushed. "Of course not! Nami will be around! That'd be inappropriate.. We might not even be staying at his house!"

Sora pouted. "Aw boo, you're so boring!"

Roxas rolled his eyes and kept typing. "I don't know if Nami would be comfortable staying at a strange man's house."

"Axel isn't just some strange man; he's your boyfriend!" Sora protested.

"We're dropping this, Sora," Roxas finally said.

"But-"

"Let the man work, Sora." Sora blinked and turned to see a tall man with silver hair standing there. The brunette grinned. "RIKU!"

He launched himself at his husband. Riku laughed. "Good to see you too, Sora. You forgot your lunch again."

Riku held up a large lunch box that had a picture of Mickey Mouse, Donald Duck and Goofy on it. Sora had a major Disney fetish.

"Holy bejeezus, I did!" Sora snatched the bag away then kissed Riku on the cheek. "Thank you so much babe!"

Riku chuckled. "You're welcome for now and the many times I'll have to come and bring it again." Sora pouted at that. The tall silverette looked over his lover and at Roxas. "Hey Roxas. How's Namine?"

"Mm, she's good I guess. She's coming home today." Roxas said, looking up.

Riku smiled. "We should all have dinner sometime this week. I've missed that kid."

Roxas laughed. "Alright, maybe tomorrow. We'll be going to Destiny Islands this weekend, so tomorrow would be best."

"Destiny Islands? Boy, that brings back memories, eh Sora?" Riku said, looking back at his no-longer pouting husband.

"Yeah! Remember when we shared that paopu fruit? It was yummy!"

Riku nodded in remembrance. Sora had only been there once, but Riku had grown up in Destiny Islands.

"So weird... Axel's shop is called Papua Scuba." Roxas said.

"Paopu Scuba's still there? Is old Reno Russo still running it?" Riku asked, his interest peaking.

Roxas shook his head. "No, his son Axel is. Axel's kind of my boyfriend."

Riku laughed. "Well isn't it a small world? I used to work with Axel in that shop! Me and Axel were best friends in high school!"

Both Sora's and Roxas' eyes widened.

"Why didn't you tell meeee?" Sora whined. "I told you about Axel!"

Riku shrugged. "You didn't ask."

Sora pouted. "But I should know everything about you! You never told me about your high school best friend!"

"Actually I did. You were eating though, so that's probably why you don't remember." Riku said, scratching the back of his neck. Everyone knew that Sora could get all too absorbed in his food. He loved food so much, he loved it almost as much as he loved Riku. So it was a good thing that Riku was an excellent chef.

"I have an idea," Riku said suddenly. "How about Sora and I join you guys on the trip? I'd love to see Destiny Islands and Axel again for sure."

Before Roxas could say anything, Sora grinned. "That's a super special awesome idea Kuku!"

Roxas nodded. "Alright, that'll be okay. You'd have to catch a plane though."

Sora's grin stayed plastered in place. "Riku has connections. He can definitely get us on the same flight!"

Riku simply nodded. "I'll arrange it when I get home." He turned to Sora. "I'll let you get back to work, Sor. Don't work too hard." The two exchanged a kiss and then the tall silverette made his leave.

After that, Sora skipped out of the office just as quickly as he had skipped in.

Roxas sat there and stared at his computer screen.

_Sora and Riku are coming too... This should be interesting..._


	6. Chapter 6

**Welcome back to yet another chapter of Messages in a Bottle!**

**I'd like to thank everyone who has reviewed and favorited this story! It means a lot!**

**I only have about one more chapter of this written completely, so updates might be a little bit less frequent, but I'm sure you'll all patiently wait :)**

**Well without further ado, here's the next chapter.**

**Disclaimer: **

**I don't own Kingdom Hearts or any other name brands I may or may not mention in this story. I'm poor. Not rich and famous. **

* * *

**Messages in a Bottle**

**VI - Namine**

* * *

Later that afternoon, Roxas drove to the Twilight Town Airport to pick up Namine.

To his dismay, when he found her, she was with Saix.

Namine squealed when she saw her father. "Mommy!" She ran up to him and hugged his leg tightly. "I missed you!"

A warm smile spread across Roxas' face. "I missed you too honey.."

The six-year-old looked over toward Saix. "Bye Sai-Sai! See you soon!" Saix waved at Namine, smiling. "Bye kid."

Looking at both of them, Roxas could tell that Namine had the blue-haired man wrapped around her little finger. Such was the case with everyone she met. Namine was simply charming and energetic.

She could be shy around strangers and usually preferred to draw alone at school instead of playing with the other kids, but she was a talkative little girl once someone got to know her.

Saix made his leave after about five minutes of waving. Namine loved to wave, like most six-year-olds did.

Roxas knelt down by his daughter, smiling. "Let's go home, okay Nami?"

Namine nodded, clutching her tan teddy bear in her arms. Xemnas got that teddy bear for her a long time ago; She had named it Cookie and was constantly hugging it. Roxas thought that it was adorable, but knew that her having a teddy bear all the time would get her picked on.

He hoped that she would stop that habit before first grade began.

After grabbing Namine's hand, Roxas led her out of the airport. Namine looked up at him. "Mommy? Can we go get ice cream from the Banskin place?"

Roxas chuckled and loaded her into his car. "Sure baby, but its called 'Baskin-Robbins'."

Namine thrust her fist into the air in victory. "Ice cream!"

After making sure she was safely fastened, Roxas closed the car door and got in on the driver's side. When he began to drive, he looked back. "Did you eat lunch, Nami?"

Namine shook her head. "We were on the airplane!"

Roxas chuckled then looked at the clock. It was 1:30 pm. He was rather hungry. "Want to go get some McDonald's before we get ice cream?"

"Yes please!" Namine replied, hugging her bear tightly. "Get Cookie some food too, he's pretty hungry."

"Alright, to McDonald's we go then!"

* * *

After eating lunch, the father and daughter went to get ice cream.

Once they were at Baskin-Robbins, they walked up to the front counter. A teen with a mullet-type hairstyle was there like always. His name was Demyx and he had a weird obsession with water.

When Demyx saw Namine, he grinned. "Hey Nam! Long time no see!"

Namine giggled. "I was on vacation with Daddy and Sai-Sai! We went to a water park and got really wet!"

"Awesome!" Demyx said, grinning. Roxas could swear that the teen was a six-year-old at heart. "So what kind of ice cream are we trying today, Nam?"

The small girl stared at the flavors and looked thoughtful. "Huummm~... How about the Snickers?"

"Snickers? Great choice madam!" Demyx grabbed a cake-cone and scooped one scoop of the Snickers ice cream into it. He handed it to her. "Here you go, Nami-Noo."

Namine giggled and took the ice cream, holding it with both of her small hands. "Thank you!"

She skipped off to the nearest table and sat down, licking her ice cream happily.

Demyx looked to Roxas. "You getting anything, Mama Roxas?"

Roxas looked thoughtful, ignoring the nickname that Demyx had given him. "How about Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough?" He asked.

"Sure!" Demyx fixed him a cone with his requested ice cream and handed it to him. "Here ya go."

The elder blonde thanked him and walked off to sit in front of Namine. She already had ice cream and chunks of Snickers all over her face. "Yummy!" She exclaimed, grinning.

Roxas chuckled and started to eat his own ice cream. He always loved these ice cream days with Namine. They made him feel like a great father.

After they finished their ice cream, Roxas told Namine all about their plans to go to Destiny Islands with Sora and Riku. She was very excited. Roxas had a feeling that this would be a fun weekend.

* * *

On Friday, Roxas and Namine met up with Sora and Riku at the airport.

They were all packed and ready to leave for the trip. When it was time for their flight, they all got on the plane. With Riku's "connections", (Roxas still didn't know who they were), Sora and Riku were able to get seats near them.

The flight was an hour-long and Namine ended up falling asleep halfway through the flight. Sora did as well, Roxas guessed that all of that energy could only last so long.

Riku and Roxas began to have a conversation about Axel and his father.

"Reno's a funny old fart," Riku recalled. "Him and Axel are actually so much alike that it's crazy."

Roxas blinked. "Really?"

"Of course. Reno always had a story to tell- Did you know that one time, he convinced Axel to punch this guy straight in the gut? Axel was only about four then, but shit, that sounds hilarious!" Riku said, grinning at the memories.

Roxas chuckled. He could actually see a smaller Axel doing this.

"Yeah, Axel's mom, Tifa, wasn't very happy about it though," Riku added. "I remember when she passed away. It was a dark time in Axel's life. He started drifting away and distancing himself from everyone. It didn't help that his father did that too."

The blonde blinked.

"It wasn't until our junior year of high school until he got over it. He had really loved his mother. But soon he started smiling again and became like a normal teenager." Riku continued.

"I wish I would have known him in high school.. Things could have been different," Roxas murmured.

Riku shook his head. "Don't wish that." Roxas blinked. "What? Why?"

"Because Namine wouldn't be here if you did," Riku replied. "And Namine is fucking awesome."

Roxas laughed. Riku was right like always.


	7. Chapter 7

**Another chapter! I know I upload at random times, but oh well!**

**This is the last one that I had pre-written, so updates will be coming less frequently, so beware.**

**Otherwise, I hope you guys have a good day!**

**I really appreciate all of the favorites/follows/reviews that I've been getting. Thanks for showing that you are interested!**

**Enjoy the chapter and drop a review if you can!**

* * *

**Messages in a Bottle**

**VII - The Trip**

* * *

After the hour-long flight, Roxas, Namine, Riku and Sora finally got to Destiny Islands.

Axel met them at the airport. He looked slightly surprised at the sight of Riku. "Riku? Riku Hikaru?"

Riku grinned. "Axel, my man, how have you been?"

"Good actually," Axel answered, grinning. He and Riku hugged.

When they pulled away, Riku introduced Sora. "This is my husband Sora."

"Hi!" Sora said, waving energetically.

Namine was hiding behind Roxas' leg. Axel noticed her and smiled. "Hey, you must be Namine. I'm Axel." He held his hand out for her to shake it. The small girl peaked out from behind Roxas' leg and shook the hand shyly.

Roxas smiled.

"How about after you guys get settled, we go to the beach and swim?" Axel suggested.

Sora and Namine thrust their fists into the air. "Yeah!" They said in unison.

The other men chuckled. Axel loaded their things up into his truck and they all got in. "Sorry that it's a tight squeeze; I don't have another car."

Sora and Riku were in the backseat while Namine sat up front with Axel and Roxas in between them.

"It's alright," Roxas said. "You weren't expecting this many people."

* * *

After a ten minute drive, they arrived at the hotel where all of the guests would be staying.

Axel helped Roxas carry his and Namine's things up to their room while Riku carried his and Sora's.

Once everyone was settled in, they all changed for the beach while Axel waited outside. He had already been wearing swim trunks and a muscle shirt since he knew that they would probably be heading to the beach.

Roxas and Namine came down first; Roxas was wearing simple red trunks and Namine was wearing a cute blue one piece swimsuit. Right after them, Sora and Riku came down.

"We ready?" Axel asked them all. They nodded. At that, Axel drove them to the beach.

When they got there, it was surprisingly empty.

"Oh sweet, an empty beach." Riku said, grinning. Axel shrugged. "This is Dad's land so I come here to swim instead of those public ones."

Namine looked up at Roxas. "Can I go swim Mommy?"

Roxas smiled down at her. "Sure honey. Just stay where I can see you."

The small blonde nodded. "Mmkay!"

She ran toward the water. Sora followed, screeching, "Wait for me, Nami!"

Riku his husband as well.

Axel took off his muscle shirt and Roxas found himself staring. The redhead noticed and grinned. "Like what you see?"

"M-maybe."

Axel grinned. "Let's go play, Roxy." He grabbed the blonde's hand and they ran toward the beach.

* * *

They spent all day at the beach and had a wonderful time. Axel and Namine actually got along pretty well. She had even started calling him "Axie". Axel seemed to really like that.

At around seven o'clock, they left the beach and headed to a local restaurant to eat.

The service was great; they even gave Namine some crayons. Usually every restaurant that they went to in the past had always had problems with crayons. It was a catastrophe.

Since the restaurant was a seafood restaurant, Roxas ordered a snow crab and was not disappointed. It was delicious. Since Namine hated fish, she just got some chicken tenders and she seemed to enjoy them.

It was a great night.

Roxas and Namine ended up staying at Axel's place since they went there afterwards. Namine had fallen asleep on the couch and neither Axel nor Roxas had the heart to wake her.

The couple sat outside on the porch together, watching the sea.

Roxas' head was on Axel's shoulder. They were close to each other, just enjoying each other's company.

Axel pointed something out in the sky. "See that constellation there? That's Ursa Major and above it is Ursa Minor."

Roxas looked confused. "Those are the big and little dippers."

Axel chuckled. "Yes, but in Astrology, they're called Ursa Major and Minor. You see, if you look closely, you can see that one is a large bear and another is a smaller bear."

The blonde squinted and tried to imagine. "I see it," Roxas said, smiling. He looked toward Axel. "How do you know all of this stuff?"

"I majored in Astrology in college," Axel replied. "Though I knew that I'd be running the shop no matter what I studied, I figured that Astrology would be useful for my sailing."

"That's so cool," Roxas breathed out. "I wish that I had taken some interesting classes during college. I just wanted to be a journalist and that's what I am. I worked hard and long and ended up wasting most of my life away.."

Axel chuckled. "I admire that you wanted to get your career in place first... it's always good to have a solid future."

Roxas smiled. "Yeah, I guess. The hours are good too; I can always pick up Namine from school on time.." He leaned closer to Axel. "Axel? If we were to move in with each other one day... where would we live? I mean... we live so far away from each other.."

The redhead frowned. "I don't know yet. I've been thinking about this a lot.."

They both sat there in silence for a while. They were thinking about each other, about their future.. about everything.

Nothing in life is ever simple, is it?

* * *

The next day when Axel woke up, he decided that he would take them on a boat ride.

When Axel told Roxas, Roxas trudged to the living room to wake up Namine. This took about twenty minutes since the small child hated getting up. The blonde child whimpered and held onto the couch as Roxas tried to pull her off of it.

"Come on Nami! You've gotta get up!" Roxas scolded. "We have a long day ahead of us!"

"Five more minutes, mommy!" Namine whined as she was dragged off of the couch.

"No! Axel's going to take us on a boat ride today so you need to get dressed!" Roxas said.

Suddenly the smell of breakfast drifted into the room. Namine perked up and opened her eyes. "Do I smell food?"

Axel peeked out from the kitchen. "Yes you do. But you only get it if you get up and get dressed!"

Namine immediately shot out of the couch and ran to her suitcase and picked out an outfit. She put it on herself and let Roxas brush her hair.

Roxas smiled.

Once the six-year-old was dressed, she ran to the kitchen. Axel was making pancakes and bacon. Namine watched in fascination as Axel flipped the pancakes with the pan.

Roxas watched as well, humming. He had always wanted to be able to do that. "How do you do that, Axel?" Roxas asked, tilting his head.

Axel chuckled. "My old man taught me. He's a pretty good cook. He taught me everything I know."

The blonde man smiled at the thought of Axel's father. He wondered if he'd ever get to meet the man. Axel had described him as an older version of himself. So Roxas was very interested..

Once the pancakes were done, the small unit sat down to eat together. In the middle of a conversation, Axel's cellphone rang. The redhead blinked and looked at it. "Oh its my old man. Excuse me." He stood up and left the table, leaving Namine and Roxas alone.

Roxas looked down at Namine. "Hey, Nami?" Namine looked up. "Yes Mommy?"

"Do you like Axel?"

Namine nodded. "He's really nice... Mommy? Do you love Mr. Axie?" Roxas blinked. "Why do you ask?"

"I saw you hugging him. You looked really happy Mommy; you must love him..."

Roxas blushed. "W-well.."

"Is he gonna be my new daddy? Cause if so, I don't mind... he's nice and has pretty hair," Namine continued.

A smile crossed Roxas' face. "We'll see, Nami.. okay?"

Namine nodded. "Okay Mommy."

After the two finished eating, Axel walked back in. "My dad wants us to come over for dinner."

Roxas smiled. "That's great. Are Riku and Sora coming?"

Axel nodded. "Of course. Dad wants to see Riku again."

"We're still going for a ride on the boat?"

"Of course! I want to show Nami what its like to sail," Axel said, ruffling the girl's hair. She giggled.

Roxas pouted. "Damnit Axel, I just brushed her hair!"

Namine gasped. "Ooooooo."

"What?"

"You said the 'd' word!" Namine said, looking completely scandalized. Axel gasped dramatically as well.

Roxas looked a bit embarrassed. "Sorry Nami."

"Its okay Mommy! You just owe me a quarter!" Namine said, grinning and holding her hand out.

"Right.." Roxas said, taking out a quarter. Axel looked a bit confused. "Why are you giving her a quarter?"

"Mommy said that any time he says a bad word that he'd give me a quarter! I have three dollars!" She looked proud.

Axel chuckled. "Wow, didn't know that you were such a potty mouth, Roxy."

"Shut it," Roxas said, sticking his tongue out.

Namine gasped again but Roxas shook his head. "I said 'shut it' so its not bad."

The girl pouted. She had wanted another quarter.

Axel looked at the clock. "We'd better get going; its already 10:00."

Roxas' eyes widened and he shot up. "But I haven't even showered yet!" And at that he ran to the bathroom to get showered and ready.


	8. Chapter 8

**Here's another chapter! **

**I'd like to take a moment to thank...**

**For Favoriting:**

_Ern Estine 13624 _

_LikeAFan737 _

_Newspace19 _

_Silent Searcher _

_Yoyito _

_fuzzyappa _

_hotkittengirl _

_unicron1000_

**For Following: **

_Aqua-Tranquility _

_LikeAFan737 _

_Marine Snow _

_Newspace19 _

_Shiranai Atsune _

_Silent Searcher _

_Spazztic Revenge_

_Yoyito _

_fluteprincess95 _

_fuzzyappa _

_high off of strawberry pocky_

_jasono346 _

_personapeach _

_unicron1000_

**For Reviewing:**

_Yoyito_

_Ern Estine 13624_

_Guest (2 different?)_

_unknowngirl_

**Thank you all for showing an interest in this little ol' story of mine :)**

**I OWN JACK SHIT GUYS. NADA. GOOSE EGGS. NUTTIN. Keep this in mind :D**

* * *

**Messages in a Bottle**

**VIII - Dinner with Reno**

* * *

When Roxas got out of the shower, Axel and Namine were already dressed. Namine was wearing a cute little sunhat to protect her from the sun. Roxas could see that she had a light coating of sunscreen on as well.

Roxas sighed in relief. Axel was an angel.

Speaking of Axel, the redhead was wearing his hair in a ponytail and had a large picnic basket in his arms along with another bag. "You ready Roxy?"

The blonde man nodded. "As ready as I'll ever be."

And at that, they all headed to the pier in Axel's truck.

Namine stared out of the truck window as she sat between the two men. "Wow.. its so pretty here.."

Axel chuckled. "It is isn't it? Look, there's where I met your mommy."

He pointed to the spot at the pier as he drove up. "Next to that boat?" Namine asked, tilting her head.

"Yup." Axel replied, parking the truck in his usual spot. "That's my boat."

Namine gasped. "It's so cool!" When Roxas opened the door, she crawled over Roxas' lap, too impatient to wait for him to get out. "We're riding on it, Axie?" She asked, squealing.

"Mmhm. But you have to wear this life jacket." The redhead said, pulling out light blue life jacket with purple flowers on it.

After Axel help her put it on, they all got on the boat and sailed off.

As they sailed, Namine gazed out at the ocean with curious eyes. This is the first time that she had been on a boat.

Shimmering, a few dolphins peeked up near the boat before hopping into the air. Namine squealed and pointed. "Look Axie! Mommy!"

Roxas watched in amazement. "Oh wow.."

Once the dolphins fell back into the water, Axel reached into his pocket and grabbed a can of sardines. His blonde lover looked at him strangely. "Why did you have a can of sardines in your pocket?"

Axel walked over to the edge of the boat and tossed a sardine into the water then grinned back at Roxas. "Why don't you have sardines in your pocket?"

Before Roxas could muster a retort, Namine ran over to Axel squealing. "Axie! I wanna feed the dolphins!"

Axel chuckled and handed the small girl a sardine. "Slimy," she commented before she threw it into the sea. A dolphin caught it in its mouth.

Roxas quickly took his phone out and snapped a picture of this moment. He smiled. I wonder if we'll have any more moments like this... God, I hope so..

The rest of the afternoon was filled with Namine laughing and just loving the ride. They ate lunch around 1:30 and then went to go swimming at the beach about an hour after.

Roxas was having more fun than he had had in such a long time. And Namine seemed to feel the same way too.

* * *

At around 3:00, Axel and Roxas sat together on the beach while Namine built a sandcastle.

"She really is just adorable," Axel said. "She's just like you, you know."

Roxas blinked. "I don't think she is... she's a lot more creative than I am."

"But when you both are upset about something, you have this pouty face. And both of your eyes sparkle when you are happy. Its wonderful." Axel said, staring off into the sunset.

Roxas blushed. All of this honestly still felt like a dream.. a beautiful, wonderful dream. And he didn't want it to end. The blonde leaned back against Axel's chest. "Thank you Axel."

"Hm? For what?"

"Being in my life."

To Roxas' dismay, their time at the beach seemed shorter than it was. By 5 o'clock, Axel was packing up their stuff that they brought and Namine was changing her clothes behind a tree.

And then they headed off to Reno's house. The whole way there, Roxas was nervous.

What if Axel's father doesn't like me? He looked down at himself. Oh I didn't even bother to wear something half decent.

He was wearing a pair of shorts and a white t-shirt. Roxas bit his lip.

Axel noticed when he glanced over at Roxas. "Relax Roxy, my pop isn't going to care about how you look."

Roxas looked slightly surprised. "How did you...?"

"Body language is a good way to read people," Axel said simply. "You were biting your lip, which means that you're worried. You were glancing over yourself which means that the topic of your worry is your clothes."

Roxas blinked.

Namine leaned forward, peeking her head from behind Roxas' seat. "You look cool Mommy!"

Cool...cool...I look cool... I don't feel cool, Roxas thought, his eyebrows furrowing.

Suddenly, Roxas felt Axel's warm hand touch his as if reassuring the blonde man. "My dad will just be glad to meet the man who's making me so happy. Why do you think he invited us over? He didn't want to meet your outfit," Axel sounded slightly amused.

Bring the car to a stop in Reno's driveway, Axel looked over at Roxas. "Everything will be alright. Kay?"

"Okay." Roxas said, nodding. He was a little less nervous now that Axel was holding his hand.

Axel smiled then looked back at Namine. "You ready, squirt?"

Namine grinned. "Yah!"

Once they were out of the car, Axel led the way to Reno's front door and knocked loudly. "Yo pops!" Axel yelled when there wasn't an answer immediately.

"Its open!" Reno shouted from inside the house.

Axel looked back and opened the door, gesturing for them to head inside.

Namine skipped in first and the couple followed.

"Oi Dad! Where are you?" Axel said aloud.

"In the kitchen! Be there in a second, son!" Reno yelled. There were shuffling sounds in the kitchen and something smelt great.

"Go ahead and sit," Axel said, gesturing to the couch and chairs in the living room.

Namine sat down first, in a spinning chair with cushions on it. She started spinning. "Weeeee! Look at me Mommyyyyy!" She squealed, raising her hands in the air.

Roxas noticed and frowned. "Namine Grace Strife! Stop that!"

"Oh its okay, let the kid have her fun." Roxas turned to see a tall man who looked like Axel except a lot more aged. The man, who must have been Reno, smiled at Roxas.

"So you're the famous Roxy. Nice ta meetcha, I'm Axel's father, but you can call me Reno." Reno held his hand out so that Roxas could shake it. Roxas did.

Looking past Roxas, Reno smiled at Namine. "And who's this?"

"I-I'm Namine," Namine answered, her voice slightly quiet. Her shyness was kicking in.

Reno knelt down and held his hand out. "I'm Reno; Axel's dad."

Namine blinked. "Then can I call you Grandpa? I've never had a grandpa before."

A smile crossed the elder Russo's face. "Of course, sweet pea."

Namine grinned and shook Reno's hand. "Okay Grandpa!"

Roxas smiled at the exchange. He was glad that everything was going well with Namine. She seemed very happy.

Reno escorted them to the dining room, which was rather small but quaint. There were four chairs at a small oak-table and a few family photos rested on the walls. On the table, there were empty plates, forks, and cups placed on place mats.

Roxas found it rather strange that such an older man had set the table this way. Reno noticed Roxas' look and scratched behind his neck. "My wife always set the table this way. Is it bad?"

"Of course not!" Roxas exclaimed, shaking his head quickly. "Its nice!"

Reno smiled in relief. "I'm glad. I wouldn't want Axel's boyfriend getting mad at me. Sit, sit, dinner will be out in a few minutes!"

They all sat down. "I wonder what the old man cooked up this time..." Axel murmured to himself.

After a few minutes, Reno brought out a pot with a serving spoon in it and a plate with a type of bread on it.

"Here it is! My homemade jambalaya and french bread!" Reno grinned, placing it down. Roxas glanced at it and his eyes widened. That looks amazing! He thought in pure awe. He almost didn't want to ruin it by eating it.

Namine clapped her hands. "Looks yummy!"

Reno's expression brightened more. It was almost blinding. "Well dig in kiddo! There's plenty!"

Namine grinned and Roxas scooped a few scoops onto her plate, making sure to get her plenty of sausage. Whenever they had jambalaya in the past (though it wasn't homemade like Reno's), the sausage was always Namine's favorite part.

Namine took the first bite and her eyes brightened at the taste. "Its yummy! Grandpa, you and Axie have to come live with Mommy and me! Mommy's food isn't as good as yours!"

Roxas, surprisingly, wasn't hurt by this statement. He had never been good at cooking.

Reno chuckled. "Thanks kiddo. Now eat up."

Everyone else got their food and dug in. Roxas genuinely enjoyed it, even though he wasn't one for spicy food. The elder Russo looked over at Roxas. "Do you like it, blondie?"

Roxas nodded, not speaking because his mouth was full.

Reno grinned, glad that he was impressing his son's lover.

As soon as it began, the night soon ended. Namine ended up falling asleep on Reno's couch during a movie that they were watching. Her head was resting upon Axel's arm.

"She's such a good kid," Reno commented, glancing over at Roxas. Roxas smiled, always proud of Namine. "I know."

Reno looked over to Axel. "Why don't you take her to the truck? I'd like to talk to Roxas alone."

Axel nodded and Roxas gulped. What could this possibly be about? He asked himself as Axel gently picked up Namine and took her out of the house.

Reno looked over at the blonde, his expression turning serious. "Roxas?"

Roxas squeaked lightly. "U-uh yes?"

"..Don't hurt my son. For his sake." Reno said after a few seconds. The blonde blinked. "I-I'd never hurt Axel..." Roxas stuttered after a few moments.

"Good," Reno said, patting Roxas' shoulder. "Cause I like that Namine. She's funny. Come visit me again sometimes, even if things go wrong with Axel."

Right after he said this, Axel peeked in the front door. "Everything okay in here guys? Dad, you didn't kill Roxy, right?"

Reno pouted. "You have such little faith in your old man, Axel! I'd never hurt the famous 'Roxy'! Without him, we wouldn't have anything to talk about!"

Both Roxas and Axel blushed. With a good-bye hug, the two men left Reno's house with generally good feelings within them.

As Axel drove Roxas and the sleeping Namine back to his home, the two adults were talking quietly and laughing.

"So what did pops say to you anyway?" Axel asked, steering the wheel with one hand, the other arm was around Roxas.

"Just the usual dad stuff. And that he liked Nami," Roxas answered, leaning on Axel. Axel chuckled. "I knew he'd like her. How could anyone not? She's so fucking cool."

Roxas laughed. "She is," The blonde agreed. "I'm so lucky to have her. I don't know what I'd do without her."

* * *

Despite all of the fun they had that weekend, soon it was time for them to leave Destiny Islands.

Axel drove them all to the airport while Namine pouted in between them. She had pitched quite a fit that morning when she found out that they were going home. She didn't want to leave Axel at all.

The flaming red head had to eventually promise that he'd see her again soon. And even then, she still wasn't pleased.

Roxas sighed softly as a song played on the radio. It was a song that was popular the year before and obviously Sora loved it because he was singing along in his obnoxiously loud voice.

"TONIIIIIIIIIIIGGGHHHT! WE ARE YOOOOOOUUUNNNNGGGGGG! SO LET'S SET THE WORLD ON FIREEEEEE!" Sora sang, grinning.

Riku chuckled and wrapped an arm around the shorter brunette, always used to his antics. Axel joined Sora in his singing which made it even more obnoxious, but funny.

**"SO LET'S SET THE WORLD ON FIREEE! WE CAN BURN BRIIIIGHTER! THAN THE SUUUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNN!" **They sang while Axel drove. Grinning as he sang, Axel rolled down the windows of his truck and proceeded to sing even louder.

Namine giggled as this went on. It had obviously cheered her up and she had even begun to clap along to the beat.

This continued until Axel pulled up to the airport and shut off the music. _Bohemian Rhapsody_ had been playing. Sora looked scandalized. "Oh heeeelllll nah!"

Axel looked confused. "What?"

Riku facepalmed. "Dude, you don't just shut off the radio when Bohemian Rhapsody is playing. It's against the rules of the music gods."

Roxas rolled his eyes. "We need to catch our plane guys. Come on, let's get the things."

With a nod, they all got out and grabbed their things. Soon they were getting on the plane.

Sniffling, Namine hugged Axel. "Bye Axie.." Axel hugged back. "I'll see ya soon kid, okay?"

She nodded and followed Riku and Sora onto the plane.

Turning to Roxas, Axel hugged him tightly. "I'll miss ya Roxy."

"I'll Skype you when I get home," Roxas promised, kissing Axel on the cheek, breathing in the scent of his lover for a final time. He knew that he'd miss sleeping next to Axel and just feeling him...but Roxas knew that he couldn't move this relationship too fast.

He didn't want Nami or himself to get hurt.

Waving slightly, Roxas stepped onto the plane.


End file.
